An ethical issue is an identifiable problem, situation, or opportunity that requires a person or organization to choose from among several actions that may be evaluated as ethical or unethical.

Moral philosophy. Refers to the specific principles or values people use to decide what is right and wrong.

„Ethics‟ commonly means rule or principles that define right and wrong conduct. It may be defined as: “Ethics is a fundamental trait which one adopts and follows as a guiding principle or basic dharma in one’s life. It implies moral conduct and honorable behavior on the part of an individual.

There are four kinds of social responsibility: legal, ethical, economic and philanthropic. Legal dimension of CSR relates to compliance with laws and regulations established by the authorities, which set standards for responsible behavior – the codification of what society thinks is right or wrong.

Ethics can be defined as individual, occupational, organizational, or societal morals and values, while social responsibility is the practical application of ethical concerns for the benefit of society as a whole. Individual ethics are guiding principles that help us decide what is right and wrong as a person.

The theory of social responsibility is built on a system of ethics, in which decisions and actions must be ethically validated before proceeding. If the action or decision causes harm to society or the environment, then it would be considered to be socially irresponsible.

Individual, social, and opportunity factors all affect the level of ethical behavior in an organization. Individual factors include knowledge level, moral values and attitudes, and personal goals. Social factors include cultural norms and the actions and values of coworkers and significant others.

We make moral choices everyday. The decision whether to keep or return the money found in a lost wallet or to tell a lie to protect someone’s feelings, or even something as simple as to give up your seat on the bus so somebody else can sit down.